Don't Go in the Woods

Gage and Cliff were still nervous, and to be honest--so was I. This whole thing was strange, and I knew the guys had to believe that Hazel was kidnapped, why else would they be following a guy like me into the woods they were so scared of? I led the way for a long time, searching for the signs of the wolf or--the thing Gage saw.

The morning was bright, the mist and fog had burned off but i couldn't shake this sense of fear in my heart. The forest I felt I knew so well--was beginning to seem unlike itself. The birds used to sing, but now I could barely hear any animals let alone a bird. I didn't voice my fears or worries to the guys, I was supposed to be the brave one. Cliff was obviously the younger of the two, the way he spoke and acted, made he realize this. Gage was upset and nervous, he worried so much about Hazel and seemed to be protective over Cliff as well.

As we walked deeper in the woods, I noticed that the sun wasn't shinning any longer and rumbling came from the sky. A storm was coming. I couldn't help but think that because of this kidnapper--the forest was no longer the safe haven I once had. It was changing right before my eyes.

~+~

It was late afternoon, sometime after two and the trail had run cold. Since it was later in the fall season, the days were become shorter and shorter. The guys knew that the paw prints were gone and fear began to creep into the space around us. Gage stopped next to me, his head titling back slightly, "We...lost her, huh?" He choked, his head rolling forward slowly, his shoulder shaking and his hands balled up into fists.

Cliff walked up behind Gage, terror blinding his eyes and reason. He didn't speak, but he kept pacing, as if the two had just found out their oxygen was about to run out and is was only a matter of time before we'd all be goners. I nodded and spoke in barely a whisper, "Yeah, w-we lost her."

Gage turned towards me, a wild look in his eyes, the rain began to fall. He lunged towards me, I quickly side stepped him, expecting to receive a blow to the face. But instead Gage ran towards one of the larger trees in the forest. He stopped right in front of it, pulling back his fist and holding it suspended in the air for a moment. With one loud crack, Gage's fist had connected with the bark, leaving bloody marks from his scrapped knuckles. The thunder roared and Gage roared with it. Cliff sunk to the ground, sniffing and hugging himself. Gage's arm obviously was hurt, the way he let it hang limply next to his side. I just stood there, the rain coming down, standing between two broken friends.

I opened my mouth to speak, but was met with a muffled, gruff sounding laugh. I looked up and around, trying to find the origin of the voice but it seemed to be coming from everywhere. Cliff began to whimper, trying to calm himself. Something suddenly came over him and he stood, his eyes meeting the owner of the voice. It was the thing Gage had described before. A man in a full suit with a wolf metal helmet over him, hiding his face. I reached for the gun at my side and looked over at Gage, who was also looking at the strange figure.

"Well, well. Looks like you've lost your girl. Don't worry--I've got her now." The figure mocked, standing stock still and turning to look straight at Cliff. "Don't be scared," He said, titling his head slightly, "Instead--be terrified!" He roared, his voice bouncing off the trees and echoing slightly in the dense forest. He laughed again, sounding darker than before. Cliff scrambled over to us, shrinking behind Gage.

I leveled the gun at the figure and placed my finger on the trigger, "Give us back Hazel, or I'll shatter that helmet and your with a bullet." I snarled, my shot was good--better than most. I wouldn't miss.

The wolf-headed man's laugh was cut short and he suddenly turned toward me, it's dark eyes locked on mine. He silently made it's way over to me, I felt that I was only two inches tall. The figure loomed over me, taking the edge of the gun in his hand and pressing up against his chest. He craned his neck so that we were face to face, it took every ounce of will power not to shy away from his stare. The creature smelled of wild animal, dirt, wet leaves and even a hit of feminine perfume. It was odd, perhaps a bit of Hazel's smell had mixed with his own. I shuttered at the thought of him being that close to Hazel. "Do it. I dare you." The wolf-headed man challenged, standing perfectly still. I pulled the trigger, and nothing happened. There was no bang, no bullet, no falling body. Nothing. Nothing except horrible, sick laughter. "Interesting." The dark figure said, pulling away and stepping back a few paces so that Gage and Cliff were in his sight as well. At least everyone knew that I wasn't scared to use this thing but the fact that nothing had happen worried me deeply. A new sense of fear that sunk into my body. "Now, I'd like you all to join a little competition I'm holding. You three are on one team, and the entire forest is on another." He paused, as he began to pace back and forth, folding his arms around his back. "If you all win, I'll give you back Hazel. If you lose well--Hazel will be mine forever."

I glanced over at the others, wondering if they'd agree. This seemed to crazy to really do. And I began to speak when Gage cut me off. "What do we have to do?"

Although I couldn't see the monster's face, I could tell he was delighted with Gage asking that question. "Well, anything the forest presents as a challenge. Get past it, and you'll make your way slowly toward Hazel. If you fail a challenge, well--the good always did die young." He chuckled, "So with that said, do you agree to except my challenge? Is Hazel really worth it?" He stuck out his hand, which were gloved with black leather.

Gage and I exchanged glanced, unsure. Of course we wanted her back, but I wasn't going to shake hands with this guy, how could I trust him? Instead, I slapped his hand away, "Go crawl back to hell." I snarled.

The helmeted man slowly withdrew his hand, and I felt Cliff, of all people grip, me by the shoulders, slamming up and against a tree that was near us. "Look, she's our girl. And I will do anything to get her back. So, we're going to do it. Got that?" He snarled, looking at me straight in the eye. I wanted to punch Cliff for attacking me, but I didn't know Hazel, I wasn't as willing to help as they were. Cliff turned on his heels and gripped the man's hand, shaking it firmly.

"Excellent. Your first challenge is already here." He explained, taking a few more steps backward, spreading his arms out in a gesture to look around us. A bright flash of lightening struck the tree that Gage was standing next to, temporarily blinding us. Once my eyes cleared, the helmeted man was gone and the tree was in flames.

A dark voice boomed over the thunder and rain, "Let the games begin." It growled, breaking into a dark laugh before slowly fading away.